Educational screen & audio-visual guide (c1956-1971])

AV in the Church Field by William S. Hockman Sell Utilization As Well About one year after enthusiastically previewing that remarkable film Rembrandt: Painter of Man, I tried to book it for use in a Lenten program of one of our couples clubs. Do you think I could find a color print! two tries in New York; one at a big university; another big film hbrary. No luck. In desperation I phoned Coronet Films in Chicago, the concern which made this Dutch-produced masterpiece available in this country. That Grand Man -of Films, Ellsworth C. Dent, was called to the phone and I learned that the film had not sold widely. "But," I said, "it is a great document, why didn't you sell it?" Among the reasons he gave was one that hit me hard— "People just assumed that it was another 'art' film, I suppose, and thought they had enough in that category." As I thought over my conversation with this great AV salesman and educator, I began to think that one has to do more than sell films. He must sell utilization, too. He must sell it as good for some use; as good for some group; as good for some occasion. And this selling must begin at the top and go all the way to the bottom— the user. Now this Rembrandt film is great! It's a human document of power. I know. I have seen it four times, used it once. I am not fooled— too old for that! Here is a film that church people ought to see for two reasons, among dozens: it is great art that they will see, and they will see it better than if they went from museum to museum and confronted the pictures themselves. (This was the comment of a much-traveled member of that Lenten audience). After the art comes the second reason: It is the power of this film, when given a proper setting and context, to give people a valid religious experience. You should have seen that audience on March 2nd! It was a number of seconds before it could get its objectivity back, and then it just had to applaud. And I have never had more Kenneth J. Anderson, director of Christian education, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Minneapolis, is seen discussing the use of the AV training kit, "Using Audio-Visual Aids In A Church," with Mrs. Sihler, film supervisor for the church. All four titles in this series were produced by Family Filmstrips, Inc. They were widely used in this church to 'sell' the idea of visual aids as well as train the teachers of the various departments. appreciative comments about a fill than about Rembrandt: Painter oj Man. The university library said it hacJ had some calls for the film, but the'l had not bought it. They may have fel ''| they were already heavy on art films Another New York City library sai( they had a black and white print, if could use that. Black and white fn Rembrandt! How much of the rea Rembrandt can you convey in b&w Some, of course, but not enough fo use with a general audience. Well do I realize that such a filn comes at a pretty stiff print-price anc that the library must consider hov and when it will get its money bad from rentals and earn something on it: investment of capital and overhead But my point is that such a film mus not only be sold to the library as goot for something but the library mus' 'sell' it to its user clientele. It is no enough to announce such a film. Cer tainly you'd never say to a church school, club cr any potential custom er: "We've another art film, this one': on Rembrandt. Hope you can use it some time." I hope I have made my point: Film; must be sold and rented in terms oi their usefulness, and both producei and library must go beyond title announcements in these times when hundreds of good titles compete for attention. For users have none too mucli imagination when it comes to setting j audio visual aids of all kinds into some on-going program, be it church, synagogue, school, or community organization. Catholic AV on Increase "The use of audiovisual material in Catholic religious education has increased some 200 percent in the past ten years, and approximately two out of every three parishes in the country are using some type of films or filmstrips in their religious education program," stated Rev. Michael F. Mullen, CM., of the faculty of St. John's University, Jamaica, N. Y., vice president and chairman of the evaluation committee for the Catholic Audio Visual Educators Association (Box 618, Church Street P. O., New York 8). "Although Catholics are relative newcomers in the field of audiovisual education, it is interesting to note that there are now over 235 films and some 736 filmstrips available for use in the classroom," he stated. The source availability and cost of this material has been listed in the second annual ediiton of CAVE's Evaluation and Directory, Father Mullen indicated. CAVE has already reviewed more 232 Educational Screen and Audiovisual Guide — May, 196C